In A Name
by SilverCrystal029
Summary: post series serial drabbles about Rogue, her team, and names.
1. In A Name

_I have been advised to use disclaimers_,_ though I write and edit a massive amount of X-Men Evo content I do not own any. enjoy!_

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It always stormed when Mystique tried her schemes. Pouring, soaking heavy rains that turned the ground to mud. All of the X-Men, shivering in the rain. Desperate to protect their friend. This plan had involved mind control, an elaborate decoy, and what the blue skinned mutant had hoped would be a daring getaway. Two telepaths, Cerebro, and knowledge of Mystique's motives thwarted her, and they stood under a grey sky in front of each other.

Rogue panted, thankful for the expensive makeup setting spray her roommate gifted her. Her eyeshadow and lipstick didn't budge as the rain cascaded down her face, even with anxious tears of her own. One day, Mystique was going to make her do something unforgivable. Something even the X-Men couldn't forgive. Time and distance did not help her obsession, fixation on her adopted daughter's powers. She'd stop at nothing to control her.

Rogue was eighteen, technically an adult with the backing of an entire mutant school, and Mystique still scared her. Made her vision tunnel, her fingertips go numb. Maybe, that was her deep conditioning and programming from when she was a tiny child. Maybe, she worries that her mother is right. That there_ is_ a darkness in her. That she _does_ belong with her, and not the X-Men. No matter how hard she tried.

She feels Logan's stare, knows he smells her tears through all the rain and all the other smells. But, she steels her face and stares at her mother. Right beside Kurt, who's praying for a glance his way. The blacked out limo waited behind her, the crumpled device laying ruined in the rain. Rogue's whereabouts were no longer for debate. Destiny's visions were getting more violent and bleak for her; it was time they took things into their own hands.

"She doesn't belong there. You _weaklings_ will never keep her safe." She hissed, toned arms folding tight in front of her chest. Scott smirks at that, never missing an opportunity to piss off his nemesis.

"We saved her from you,_ didn't we?_" Rogue's sage green eyes flick to him, begging him not to incur the wrath of her former mother. They don't know, never know what she put her through. What she'd do to them. She'd nearly stranded Scott and left him for dead, Rogue still had nightmares about it. And still, it wasn't the worst she could do. He sees the malice melt into her feline eyes, even colder since going through Magneto's machine.

Rogue stands tensely, anchored in front of Kurt should she decided to pay him any mind. She feels ten pounds heavier as the rain beats down on them. She slicked silver hair behind her ear, straining to see through the moisture. "I have had enough of this." She finally says, ignoring Scott all together. It's a voice Rogue remembers. That still makes her shake, despite Kurt and Bobby's stares.

Mystique's following smirk makes even Logan narrow his eyes. _"Anna Marie Darkholme_, I've _let_ you have your fun." Both Scott and Bobby twist, as if they're expecting Anna Marie to be a secret member of the Brotherhood. Jean can feel what she's done before she knows, just by the flare in Rogue's emotions. Kitty freezes, determined not to make the moment any more painful. Mystique has just stolen something else from Rogue before she was ready. To hurt her, humiliate her.

Logan knows what she's done the minute she's done it. He launches forward in his black uniform, his claws glinting in the lightning. Mystique hops back and waves the mysterious remote. "It's rigged to the Manhattan bridge. Calm yourself, or New York is going to have a _very_ bad week." Rogue's doubled over and dry heaved as Kitty and Jean look on.

Logan freezes, his fingers itching to finally draw her blood. But, he can't. Scott's got his hand resting on his visor. "That's what I thought. Now, Anna._ Come."_ Scott is still trying to figure out who Anna is until Rogue steps forward, shivering. Feeling like the seven year old who got into mommy's important papers. Or, the twelve year old who's getting stuffed in lockers. Who blows her important missions...

"M-_Mama._.." She's pleading, but there's no point. Mystique never listened, before.

"Rogue_, no_." Logan barks, feeling sick to his stomach (a feeling he doesn't feel often with a healing factor). When Scott finally realizes Mystique had outed Rogue's name, he ran out of Jean's grasp.

"No. No way,_ no dice_." He looked around frantically, seeing tears well in Kurt's eyes. That his mother would harm and kill innocent people to steal Rogue. That she'd _go._ "We can't even know if that thing's _real_, she's not just walking off with you!" Mystique raised an eyebrow, loving how they dared test her.

"Let _her_ decide. Anna, what will _you_ do?" She smiled, loving to turn Charles' empathetic nature against him. Knowing what he's taught her daughter, she won't allow innocent people to be hurt on her behalf. She never would've taught her daughter such useless values, but it was the telepath's mistake. Kurt shook his head in disbelief.

"Stop calling her that!" His tail swished, anxiously, like a cat's. She dropped her eyes from her son's stare without explanation.

"Come, Rogue. You don't want to be responsible for what happens to that bridge..." Mystique said quietly, reaching for her. Logan lashed out instinctively.

"It _won't_ be her fault!" He reminded, a growl rumbling deep in the back of his throat. "Rogue, don't buy this shit. I've put away _real_ sociopaths, she ain't this level. She just knows you're a good person." He told her, holding terrified, grey eyes.

"Yes, trust the r_eformed murderer_ to tell you about me. Unless you want to become like us, you need to come..." The shapeshifter froze when Destiny slowly got out of the limousine, feeling around with her walking stick. Rogue shot from Mystique's side like a bullet, doing her best to shield her from the rain.

_"Mama,_ you shouldn't be out here. You'll catch cold..." She had spent the most time raising the girl, and even if she schemed with Mystique, Rogue could hardly fault her.

"I'm alright, child. I can't take it, anymore. Raven. Enough is enough. You must stop." The blue woman glared at them, lightning flashing. It was always Rogue and Irene against _her_, the bad cop. She hated it. She'd only ever wanted to protect them both. "Rogue has made a _choice_. Made one a long time ago. We must..." She looked at her adopted daughter, sadly. She had seen much coming for all the X-Men, but what she saw for Rogue had concerned Mystique. "Let_ her_ decide."

"She's right. Even if Ah wanted to, even if Ah_ cared_. Ah wouldn't leave." She moved away, even from Irene with her fists clenched tight. "_They're_ my family, now." She looked out at the mutant team, drenched in girl had never called Raven her family. The silver banged mutant can see the hurt in her eyes, but she doesn't care. How many times has she hurt her?

"Fine. I can't change that." Mystique turned stiffly as the confused X-Men watched. None of them really expected her to just let go so easily, not by a long shot. "Good luck, Rogue." She stared, still in shock of her name being dropped as they entered the car. It proved how much control she still had, even so far away. Mystique had fucked her life up so much she was freaking out over her_ own_ name.

"Well... That was weird." Kitty mumbled, rubbing her arm. She sent Piotr a long look over Scott and Jean's head. Rogue just stared at the spot the limousine had been for a long time, her face blank. Logan approached her slowly, feeling the turbulent emotions rolling off of her.

"Kid... You okay?" He watched her wipe at the back of her face with her arm. Then, she took off running without a word. "Rogue!" The team watched, helpless as she disappeared down an alleyway. Kurt hung his head, his tail drooping.

"Poor, Rogue." He murmured, thinking about the look on his mother's face. _'Vhy, mother?'_

"Yeah," Scott agreed. "Anna Marie, huh?" He dipped his head, pensively. He knew Rogue and she was an intensely private person. Whatever reason she did or didn't have for not telling them, Mystique had just shattered it in a complete power move. He sighed. He'd always hoped she'd get there on her own.

"I think it's a pretty name." Jean ventured, absent-mindedly rubbing a temple.

"Yeah, but Mystique could've like... _Named_ her that. There's no way to know if Mystique just adopted her, _had_ her. Killed her mother and _took_ her..." The telepath is silenced by Kitty's surprisingly observant point. Mystique was capable of anything. There was a lot in a name for Rogue. More than any of them. "Rogue has issues with the truth because Mystique has been tweaking it, affecting it all... Her_ whole_ life. Destiny, too. I can't even imagine..." Kitty shook her head, angrily.

Her time as Rogue's roommate had given her a valuable insight to a lot of things about her. She was a layered, complex person. Not at all just what she seemed. It made her empathize with her a lot more. Bobby's face darkened, his hand behind his head in discomfort. He always tried to lighten the girl up. Sometimes, he succeeded. But now, he understood her affect.

"Gee. I never thought about that. Mystique pretty much is an emotional terrorist. Sorry, Kurt." The teleporter held up his hands.

"It is... Okay, friend. I just hope Rogue vill be alright." He looked worriedly as Logan tried to figure out what to do.

"You guys regroup at the Blackbird. I'll go get her, bring her back." He took off not a second later, leaving the group alone.

"Regardless," Jean sighed, sensing her boyfriend's tense and worried mood. "We should give Rogue some space, and definitely some space on her name. When she's ready, she'll talk to us." Everyone nodded in agreement. They'd all learned what happened when she was pushed. Kitty and Rogue's screaming matches had been legendary. Besides, if anyone could get her to open up, it was Logan.

He didn't have to go far to find her hiding atop the roof of a bodega, her knees tucked into herself. He could smell the tears before he saw them, but he didn't comment as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it. She was thankful for the silence. She got so close to the rough mutant because he knew when words were needed and when they weren't. It was an invaluable trait. Even if words were coming, that silence made all the difference.

"She really messed with you, huh?" He'd always known. He and Mystique hadn't always been on opposite lines. There were times when he, like Creed, thought she might have a soul. Might be a warm woman, deep down. And, he paid the ultimate price. He hates to think what a woman capable of what _she's_ capable of did to a little girl. His face sags at the thought.

"Nobody but you knew my name." She told him it might be a good safe word if she ever went dark, again. Lost complete control and came for them. She trusted him with her name. He was a real guardian. He would never share information with any except the professor, and that was if he had to. Mystique always used her parentage as leverage. A bargaining chip. A_ power,_ over Rogue.

_"I named you! Who will take care of you, if not me?"_

She remembers like it was yesterday. Even as an X-Man, she exhibited such power over her. She was making them rethink her allegiance, hearing her call her 'Mama'. "She did it 'cause she knew Ah hadn't told the whole team yet. She_ still_ knows me. Ah try to _change,_ and..." She stopped when he grabbed her shoulder, peering worriedly at her. She's clutching a fist so tight it's a wonder the gloves don't rip.

"You don't need to change._ She_ does. _She's_ hurt you, and Kurt. None of that is your fault." She dropped her eyes, staring at puddles accumulating on the roof. "It's _okay_ to be hurt, Rogue. What she did to you is abuse. From the mind games to the other stuff." She dropped her head, tired of baring this burden every day of her life. "It takes_ time_ to heal. A long time. We'll be there every step of the way." He offered her a hand with a hopeful smile.

She accepted, looking Kitty's size soaking wet as she shivered next to him. He wordlessly unzipped his jacket and laid it around her. "What am Ah gonna do... About everyone..." They meant well, but she could already see it, now. Asking questions she had no answers to, calling her it by accident. It could seriously set her off.

"If it could trigger you, fight for that safe space with your teammates. Let 'em know it's not okay, and it's _not_ a hot topic." He folded his arms. "I have your back." He liked to think of her of teammates as much more considerate, but they _were_ all kids. Rogue nodded, smiling a little as the Blackbird came into view. "You got this." He clapped a hand on her back, watching a mischievous look in her eyes.

The jet door opened to silence, everyone casually leaning around. You could hear a mouse fart as they both entered, nobody else sure what to say.

_"Rogue..."_ Kurt settles for, finally. His tail is swishing anxiously as Jean drops her stare and Kitty holds Rogue's.

"You're... Back." Bobby continued, dropping the temperature nervously around him. Logan folds his arms, daring to hear an_ Anna_ or _Marie._

"Listen," Rogue drawled in the most diplomatic voice possible. "About earlier today, what Mystique _said_..."

"What_ did_ she say?" Scott asked, the ghost of a smile on his lips. He scratched his head in an animated fashion. Kitty looked at her nails.

"I never listen to anything she says..." She muttered, finding her way to a seat. Kurt nodded.

_"Ja,_ must've missed it." Rogue quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't think I recall." Jean said, heading towards the cockpit with a shrug. Logan shrugged, following after the red head. He had been expecting a full on brawl in the jet.

"Works for me." He sat beside Jean with a contented sigh, welcoming the peace.

"For what it's worth, Rogue. I think it's a _very_ nice name." Scott just had to say. Logan shut his eyes to several groans, rubbing the lids of his eyes.

_'Spoke to soon...'_ He shot to the telepath, growling in annoyance. She smiled, her eyes shut.

_'Knew it was coming...'_

_"Dang it_, jus'_ couldn'_t leave it alone Scott _Nathan_ Summers, could ya..." The stripe haired mutant turned away, haughtily.

"NATHAN?" Kitty erupted, her eyes wide in shock. She'd always thought Scott didn't have a middle name.

"Hey! You said you_ wouldn't_ tell-" Scott jabbed a finger back at her.

_'You told another girl your middle name?_' Jean's voice popped into his head.

"Jean, steer the damn jet!" Logan roared over the mounting chaos, turning his steering wheel sharply to the right.

_'This was... This was, that Christmas, and well.. We were definitely not seeing each other, so... I um,'_

_'But, you told her that?'_ Rogue's eyes narrowed at her laughing sibling, covering his face with two fingers. The goth girl's scowl only deepened.

"What're_ you_ laughin' at, _Konrad?_" Scott scratched his head.

_"R-Really? _Your name's not_ Kurt?"_

"N-No fair!"

_"Alright."_ Logan turned around and dared a soul to speak again. "Silence until we get back to the institute, or you scrub the Blackbird with a toothbrush. Got it?" And, not another voice was heard.


	2. So, What's In A Name?

Logan watched the girl take off in circles on the red mare, silver and auburn locks tossed to the winds. Horseback riding was one of the many things he did with the her when it all became too much. And, after she managed to handle Mystique's intrusion, she certainly deserved it. Distance from the hectic mansion was the least he could do. Calm was a bit of an overstatement, but Rogue always seemed the most like herself when they stole away together. Searching the horizon for a few minutes of peace.

When he knew she had to be tired, she drew the horse close to him and dismounted, swimming in one of his spare jackets and a pair of dark green pants. He smirked, the cigarette already rolling between his lips as she went to stand beside him. As two people who knew the value of quiet, they spent a lot of their time in silence. That's usually when they said the most, at least to each other.

"Never told me, y'know..." Her hoarse, southern voice drew his attention.

_"Mmm._" Is all he grunts, not dignifying her with words until she clarified. He took a slow drag, two feline-like, grey eyes watching him.

_"Your_ name."

_It was over five days Rogue was in the dark after the concert. After Risty. In a sea of darkness nobody could help her fend off. Help her get through. Even if he couldn't help, he stood vigil by her side. Watching should she rouse, should she have a nightmare, should anything change. Kurt slept in the lobby, insistent to be there so he didn't miss news. Kitty moved her bed in Jean's room until Rogue's infirmary stay was done._

_Scott's visits increased in frequency until Logan threatened him for getting on his nerves, almost starting a fight Jean ended before it started. "How can she get some rest with him rummaging around..." He'd snarled. _

_He'd been talking to her the whole time, low and rumbling. Consistent with his rough, scratchy voice. Something he hoped she'd find familiar. Though the kids were left in the dark, Charles had explained Rogue's state as something more sinister than a coma. She was locked in the recesses of her memories, of her pain. All her traumas. And everybody else's, too. Locked inside. 'If she drifts too far...' Charles didn't finish the sentence, bowing his head instead. He couldn't bare the look in the man's eyes. So, he wouldn't let her. _

_"Somethin' about betrayal." He said to her, his eyes bloodshot. Praying he'd see hers again. "Sticks with you. But, trust me. You learn to live with it. You move on, and you let your REAL friends be there for you." He gripped her pale hand tight, more for himself than for her. She was dead to the world, given the only gift of unconsciousness. _

_He shut his own eyes, appealing to the being above to not pardon him, but spare the child. His eyes shot open when he felt her twitch. Then, her hand closed as tight as her broken body would allow. He looked into sage green eyes, full of tears, and they were looking back at him. It appeared she'd heard him, too, based on the goofy smile on her face._

_As her senses slowly returned to her, she babbled anxiously. Frantic. Apologizing, like any of them wanted an apology. Praying she didn't hurt anyone. "Just me and Slim's pride." He joked, ushering her to relax. She tried to get up, to make the event right somehow. But her legs were like jello. Her arms, too. In fact her whole body. She's flailing, in his arms, back in bed. _

_"You worry about resting and getting better." He growled at her with serious eyes. "You tell me what I can do to help. What you need." He met solemn eyes, ones too old for the scrawny teenager in front of him. He has no idea what her age is, knows better than to ask. Mystique has never told her the truth and she's been in her entire life. _

_"M-Marie." She can't meet his stare any longer, seeming ashamed as she laid in the bed in front of him. "Anna Marie. M-Maybe if... Nothin' else will reach me..." Her name. Nobody even dared ask. Bobby had once, and it was a day that would live in infamy of the mansion. It was a guarded topic, a no fly zone for the girl and he'd always known better than to ask why. _

_"Your name." He whispered. He hoped that it never got this rough for her, again. But, a part of him knew better. "Won't tell a soul." He held her gaze, made sure she knew she trusted Mystique, even Risty, and that had failed her. But, she could always trust him. "Your parents... Did they-" _

_"Don't remember my momma, real momma..." For all the poor girl knew, her and Kurt were blood related. Mystique's memories shed no more truth on her life than her own words. In fact, they left the teenager with hundreds of questions. "My daddy-" The thick pane of window to the infirmary shattered, instantly. He felt the surge of her power go through him, but she's staring at the ceiling. She hadn't noticed a thing. _

_Whatever the topic of her father was, it was one for another day. She is exhausted and anxious after losing control, and she needs rest. "You don't got to say another word." He told her gently, squeezing her hand tight. "Not 'til your ready. Now, get some rest." When stormy, grey eyes lingered he leaned forward. "Won't go nowhere." With that promise, she settled back and fell easily to sleep._

Everyone knows he is Logan. Former soldier. Former special agent. Former Weapon X Project. But, he is Logan,_ now._ Protector of Xavier's School For The Gifted. Rogue has always known that he used to be someone _else_. Even before he shared his life saving healing factor with her. Logan was who he is, not who he _was._ And like her, somedays he didn't know who he was, either.

He pulled the cigarette from his mouth. "James." He finishes, looking wistfully at his rough hands. "James Logan_ Howlett_." Reminds him of a whole different life, several before all this. She studies him, thinking that James Logan Howlett fit just as much as Logan. It was classic. Sad. A lot like him.

"Why'd you drop the James?" He wants to tell her it felt appropriate once he started making a concerted effort not to kill, but he neutered his answer.

"After what I been through, the name change felt appropriate. Like_ Prince_." He snarled, taking another hit of his cigar. She snorted at that, watching a formation of birds fly overhead.

"Kinda like_ Rogue_?" She was watching the grass beneath their boots, now. His face darkened. For what they had in common, the girl was not as far down the path of destruction as he had been. Her lapse in control was shocking, and clearly scared her. But, it was nothing compared to the sheer amount of death and carnage that he'd laid around himself. He smirked at her.

"Nah, not really. You got a shot at normal kid, in fact I see it in your future. One day..." His face became troubled. This would require Charles' dream to pan out. "But, you don't have to become_ Anna Marie_... Whoever you want, until you're ready." The prospect of not going by whatever Mystique had christened her was promising. But, Anna Marie felt as much a part of her as Rogue, did. The good and the bad of it. She was all talk, for all her angst she didn't see either monicker going any time soon.

"Thanks, Logan. Ah don't know how, but you always know what to say." He grunted at that, his hands itching for a beer.

Both their stares out on the horizon. Both enjoying the silence, one that one of them would soon ruin with a snarky comment.

_"Y'know_..." Rogue began, and the man beside her was already groaning. Every time he got a little sentimental with the girls, they wanted him to walk them down the aisle (and he would, in thirty years when a man passes _his_ background checks) or name their first born after him (which would repulse him and also guarantee the child's safety their entire life, not that that isn't promised already). "If Ah ever..."

_"Oh _Christ on cracker, Stripe. Not you, too..." He slapped a broad hand over his face, muttering to himself. Her face pinched.

_"Kitty and Jean_ don't think Ah'd do it. Don't think Ah'd make any_ money,_ n'either." She waggled a gloved finger as he eyed her, skeptically. "But, if Ah ever danced..." _'Sknnt'_. His claws were already out. As a frequent pool player and bar visitor, he knew _exactly_ what she meant. "Mah dance name would be_ Lo_-" _'SKNNT'._

He didn't get to hear the rest of the sentence, a tree crashing into the ground muffles most sounds.


	3. Why Rogue?

Gambit studied the pierced rings and studs in the girl's pale cartilage. She had arms covered in long, suede looking gloves and trays stacked in her hands. When he was sure a certain clawed mutant wasn't around, he studied the girl's figure in tight, plaid red tartan pants and chunky combat boots. She was finally putting on a little weight, happy weight it seemed, though she'd never admit it. She'd always had nice muscle tone and build, and the best chest that side of Bayville.

Her hair touches her shoulders when she straightens it, some of it thrown in a frivolous, fluffy bun on the stop of her head that he can't help but watch. It bounced as she stomped (the girl had a habit of stomping, everywhere), him following after with picnic tables under his arms. It was graduation day for the New Recruits, finally to second string. The assuming affair was to be perfect, and somehow, Rogue had enlisted the cajun to help.

He tried not to to study the smooth curve of her white neck, the way her black cami dipped a little too low. Well, too low for his eyes not to look, anyways. The little beads of sweat dripping down her collarbone. Talk about forbidden fruit. "Set the tables right here." She drawled, gesturing with a hip. He sighed, musing how she had no idea about how much latent sex appeal she contained. "This'll be a good spot." She set the trays of food down once the tables were up.

She tucked shiny, silver locks behind her ear and studied the arrangement of food. She cocked a hip out of habit, the milky skin of her stomach exposing as she tried to imagine how many tables they'd need. _"Chére?_ Why ya call y'self_ Rogue_?" He could think of a few better names for her as she stood in the sunlight. She cocked a well groomed eyebrow, not in the mood for his antics.

"Why do you call me_ chére_?" Now, her hands were on her hips. Her eyes narrowed and he smirked. He loved this game, dare he say he stayed at the institute for it. He leaned in suggestively, her ears already simmering.

_"Cause,_" He answered without missing a beat. "You are very dear. T'moi as well. Y'don' t'ink so?" Her eyes narrowed even further, dangerously close to being closed. "Why you call y'self Rogue?" He bore through her with haunted eyes, red and black like the devil. She swallowed, but stood her ground.

"Hey Rogue, have you seen the macaroni? And, the green beans?" Kitty called from inside the kitchen. She didn't answer, she was glaring at the cajun.

"Didn't always..." She spoke, finally. "Once Ah... Realized what it is Ah did." She examined her gloves as he examined her._ 'When her powers came._' He thought to himself, holding his face even. If he seemed like he was investigating her, it would make her uneasy.

"Why_ Rogue,_" He pressed, suddenly thirsting for the girl's truth. She watched veins flush as his neck as he clenched his jaw. "Dat name,_ specifically_." Her eyebrow quirked, again, her teammates yelling the distance.

"Because," She folded her arms, looking away. "Ah didn't think anyone would trust me, knowing what it is-" He grabbed her gloved hand, softly as he gazed at her. Her breath caught in her throat, even as her brother called her from the distance.

"Y'was wrong, wasn' ya?" His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her, making a warmth spread through her chest. "All dese people trus' ya. _Love_ ya..." She felt the blush run rampant on her cheeks, averting her eyes to the grass and the tables. It was happening more frequently. Rogue was a consistent person, almost to a fault. But, sometimes Gambit would render her unable to speak. Think. Move. And, she was becoming convinced it wasn't his charm.

"G-_Gambit_..." She began. Wolverine was lurking somewhere close, she was sure of it.

"Remy,_ chére. S'il vous plaît.._." He stared at her unreasonably long eyelashes. The big, bambi eyes she hid beneath pounds of makeup. Still so innocent and sweet, he could see right through her. Full, luscious lips that were painted dark. How badly he just wanted to reach out and touch them with his bare finger. Did her mutation extend to her lips? They'd kissed before, and he knew the answer. He tried to dress casually at the school, his brass colored hair starting to get shaggy. He fiddled with the grey t-shirt he stood in, staring at her.

_"R-Remy_..." He felt birds flutter in his stomach when she uttered his real name, lips subconsciously pouting. He felt the devil horns sprout, how could he resist. With only the slightest change in his expression, his charm activated. Rogue slumped, the posture escaping her body quickly. He took advantage of the moment and grabbed her forearms, dragging her closer. He grinned.

"Right. Now, ya touch Remy so y'know his full name... Y'not _Rogue._" He leaned close to her ear, resisting the urge to nibble it. All he smelled were magnolias, he just wanted to inhale her. Literally and metaphorically. _"Comment tu t'appelles, joly bèbè?_ What ya _real_ name,_ huh?"_ He pulled her closer and she fit into the negative space of his body, filling it with warmth.

Her hand rose to his chest and he purred, waiting for the truth to come from her. "A-A..." She almost moaned. He forced his mind not to be too suggestive, Rogue was a prize well worth the wait, but she would need time. Lots of time. _"An_-" Rogue stumbled when the cajun was ripped from her, suddenly. A hand to her head, suddenly she couldn't account for the last few minutes.

When she saw the table set up the same, she groaned. "Aw, Remy. Ah said we needed," She squeaked when she realized Logan had him in some sort of modified half nelson. Whatever it was, it looked very uncomfortable. And, the southerner's face was going a red, a color she'd never seen it change before. _"Logan-"_

"What'cha call him," He half barked, eyes still studying his face. "He was about to gas you again, Stripe. I _seen_ it." He pressed the claws close to Gambit's neck until she whimpered. "Why _else_ would he be so close he could smell you?" Remy's face only got redder, still. Rogue had no idea herself, but she didn't want the guy shredded over it.

"He's fine, Logan. He's helpin' set up for the barbecue. Ah _need_ him." Reluctantly, he released the boy and he began to stretch the kinks out of his back.

"Need..." He grumbled, his eyes still studying the man. "I kin help ya set up picnic tables, put out food." He was always following Rogue, like a lost puppy dog. Ever since Xavier opened his doors to any who had crossed their paths.

_"You're_ grillin', Wolverine. Ya want Kitty to replace all the protein with veggie dogs and burgers?_ Again?_" The man went white as sheet, he'd nearly had a beserker rage that day. "Alright, then."

"Fine." He turned his attention back to the New Orleans native, struggling to stand there casually while they bickered like father and daughter. "Five feet, _Gumbo._ The grill's goin' _right_ here." Remy swallowed, but years of training taught him how to keep his cool.

"Bon, Wolverine. Show ya some cajun tips for cookin'." Logan only growled, stomping back towards the kitchen. When he was out of earshot, Remy smiled. "He not so bad, no..." Without even thinking, he was slinking close to the girl again. Making her blush redder than her pants, than Jean's hair, than the roses he was going to steal and leave on her balcony...

Rogue stumbled backwards, her hands waving in front of her. "Remy," She hissed, already garnering the stares of the younger students. She looked around. "He's watchin', idiot, he'll-" He took her hand and dipped her, in front of everyone watching. Rogue's eyes were shut in embarrassment, and Scott was already stomping over. His tirade had started, but neither of them were listening. They should know better than to guard something, it only makes Remy want to take it more.


	4. Etienne

Etienne. That was Remy's middle name. Rogue had known, but she didn't like to pry into memories trapped against their will. She had involuntary echoes interrupting her day all the time. It felt invasive and it was better if it was only accidental on her part. She was tucked into herself, shrouded in a massive Metallica shirt. She cried indigo streaks of makeup washed down ivory skin as Jean and Kitty continued to try to cheer her up.

Kitty had brought makeup straight from the mall, and Jean had an assortment of snacks and ice creams. Nothing could make the girl raise her eyes. She'd been like this since _he_ disappeared. They'd always found a way to each other post Apocalypse. Scott considering him a New Recruit was all he could do to attempt to keep the two apart. Sometimes, doing chores together or watching movies in the Rec room.

But, ever since the picnic, things went into overdrive. She was sharing with him. Showing him things she wrote, things she drew that she hadn't shown Kitty. Memories. Her feelings. Apparently her middle name (which a mutant who walked through walls reported might be Miriam). Most of her time. Scott even got in a screaming match with Jean because he caught them holding hands.

It was a natural progression. As the weather lazily began to change, even Logan was beginning to give up. Until he disappeared.

These had been the main reservations. He would up and leave, shattering the girl's pieced together heart. And, they didn't want to stand by and watch it happen. He'd slipped away without a word. After a week, Rogue's dwindling appetite has become 'I'm not hungry.' 'Ah won't eat.' Logan's at his wit's end, and the girls' appeal is the last step before his official intervention. That meant Hurricane Wolverine.

Kitty frowned, adjusting her grey t shirt as she dug through a bag from the mall. "I found the eye palette that's all blues, purples, and blacks! _And_, the Dracula inspired one. I... Can go back and use more Sephora points! I'm a double diamond platinum in their reward service..."

"I found that ice cream that's Cinnabon flavored. Scott says mint ice cream agrees well with all your psyches. I went to Baskin Robbins and got the apple pie inspired ice cream, or.. Or a _milkshake_, if..." The telepath huffed and looked down at Scott's old, Duke sweatshirt. Back when they thought they'd actually get into a human, high level college. A dream that passed, quickly. She frowned at the memory. "Please, eat a little something. Make an appearance for five minutes... Don't make Logan intervene."

When Rogue wouldn't lift her eyes, Kitty set down the bags and placed her hands on her hips. This wasn't bribing her for quiz answers or to take laundry duty for the week. Remy broke her heart. Carefully tugged trust out of her. He skipped the school without word when he promised, even if he was in trouble, not to hurt the girl this way. Mystique would come and disappear for months on end, often leaving the girl to fend for herself.

He'd promised, casually, out of the side of his mouth in his black flesh suit that melted into the night. Rogue went to sleep and woke up feeling that he wasn't there. A reluctant question to the red headed telepath confirmed. Remy was gone. She told him her middle name. He told her _his_. Why, after that, would he vanish? Rogue, with her first requited crush at eighteen, could not wrap her fragile mind around why. It physically hurt to contemplate.

Both Kitty and Jean, all the girl's of the mansion have had their hearts broken. Plenty of times, but not her. Scott had always been careful not to lead the girl on. To make sure she understood he cared about her, a whole damn lot. But, he couldn't in _that_ way. Remy had bulldozed her walls and learned things even her sibling had no clue about. And now, he was gone.

_"Why."_ Rogue's so quiet that both girl's heads snap up, hunched on her dark, plum sheets. "Why did he do it? Why did he tell me his middle name, then disappear? When Ah told him..." A solitary tear slides down her face, and Jean forced herself not to tear up from her empathy. Instead, she slid beside the girl and put an arm around her shoulder, despite quiet growls.

"Oh, I see." She said quietly, like a mother talking to her child.

"You've never had the pleasure of being let down by a man..." Kitty says, stooping beside her with a knowing smile. "I told you, you don't miss much." She folded her arms with a sigh.

"Men, sometimes they... Don't _think._ They just do things without thinking how much it may mean to someone else. Doesn't make it hurt any less, does it?" Rogue shook her head, hating herself for the way she hated Jean's saccharine voice. She still didn't like a lot of things about the girl, even if she had no reason not to. And she hated how genuinely nice she's always been, especially to her, most of all. And, she was usually right.

"Makes me want to break his nose so he could feel half of it." Kitty nodded, sympathetically. You didn't break promises to Rogue and you didn't betray her trust. Remy had blatantly violated both, and maybe ruined something before it started. The girl didn't leave herself open to harm. Definitely, not twice.

"You're sorry now," Kitty rose as she carefully tucked some of Rogue's hair out of her face. "But,_ not_ as sorry as he's going to be. Sooner or later, and believe me Rogue. He will be." She smirked triumphantly at the ways she could make his life miserable on behalf of her roommate.

"You can count on that." Jean agreed. Whatever Logan and Scott had planned was nothing less than torture.

Still, Rogue looked more perturbed than they'd hoped after their talk. "There's just... Enough to run away from, with me." The red head's forehead wrinkled.

"No, that's not true!" She scolded like a teacher. "_Rogue,_" She'd heard this speech before. It didn't change the fact she was an eighteen year old virgin with a deadly touch.

"Ya don't have to agree. But, it is true. Ah'm an adult, basically. Ah can handle the_ truth,_ but he didn't have to pretend to be_ different_. He didn't have to make me think he _wouldn't_..." Kitty and Jean shared a look before the smaller of the two spoke. Only people who wanted to use her stuck around, anyone else with good sense would run far, far away. Kitty took in a deep breath.

"My middle name is_ Anne._ Katherine Anne..." Rogue looked up in confusion.

_"Katherine Anne?_ Sounds like a pancake syrup brand..." Kitty shut her eyes in annoyance, but decided Rogue's had a bad enough week.

"And, _my_ middle name is Elaine." Jean continued with a smile. Rogue only snorted at that. She sounded like she was a part of British royalty.

"Course it is. Okay, but why did y'all tell me that?" She dropped a knee lazily and gazed at a Rob Zombie poster on the wall. The same one Remy had been complimenting before Logan chased him out of her room. It was the last time she saw the cajun mutant, and it was a bittersweet memory. Frustrated tears stung her eyes. _'Bastard...' _

_"Because,_" Jean said with a wide smile. Kitty draped her arm on Rogue's head, even as she groaned.

"We'll never leave, silly. Even when you want us to."

_"Especially_ when you want us to." Rogue rolled her eyes and scoffed, but in this moment. Even Jean, she did want them there.


	5. Nathan

Scott looked down to the baby in Rogue's arms. She was a happy child, with wild, red hair and bright green eyes. Time is marching on. Kitty's cut her hair short, Rogue's giving longer hair a try. You'd think it would be Scott and Jean's love child, by now. But, Hope is not. Hope is another story altogether, but the child is one of the sole survivors of Rogue's touch. And, was probably stronger than the institute combined.

The clean cut brunette never expected his teammate to be so good at handling children. That she'd even want to, and now, he hopes that she can. Hope seemed happiest by her and Jean's sides, for whatever reason. But, the atmosphere of a child has even made him excited for the future. He knows he'll be with Jean his entire life. No matter what it takes. He was in no particular rush to father children. Children that would likely be powerful mutants in their own right (Mr. Sinister has always emphasized both of their great genetic makeups).

Chasing after a small, red headed child has certainly begun changing his opinion on the matter. The Grey in question was taking the new batch of New Recruits on a field trip to a museum. This left him at the school, looking after Hope. He stood on the back porch in a flannel as Rogue bounced the child on her hip in elbow length gloves. Still so cautious, even though Mystique had proved that the child could touch her (let's just say Rogue didn't willingly find out, and Mystique is still paying for that).

Rogue hummed as a butterfly flew by, knowing what Scott's silence and close proximity meant. He really felt conflicted, at first. But, it was too convenient. It wasn't light work dating the world's most powerful psychics. Rogue was a quick, painless way to get some answers. And, with Jean out of the mansion, he'd come to pry. This question is very serious, and he's wondering how to bring it up.

"Nathan," She says, staring at him from a cropped, black sweatshirt and her growing hair in half a bun.

"H-Huh?" Scott quirks an eyebrow, still too serious for his own good. "My middle name?" Rogue smiled as he scratched his head.

"Yeah, when you an' Jean... Get married. Have kids... Of your own, a son." Their eyes lock and he's glad for sunglasses. "She'd love to name him Nathan." He rubbed his arm in discomfort. Then, he laughed softly. "I kinda like it, too." Her eyes lower.

"Getting ahead, aren't we? I'm not convinced I won't mess things up, before then..." Rogue stare dropped down to the child in her arms.

"In every life, Scott. It's... _You an' Jean_. Everybody knows that." The girl had always known, from moment she came to the school. Even when she didn't want to believe it. She's come a long way from pining in the shadows, even if it still hurts, sometimes. Scott's hand crashes through soft hair to her shoulder, eyebrows knit.

"There's someone like that for you,_ too_. Who will be very lucky..." He studied slightly lighter, purple makeup and white skin. Eyes that were slowly returning to normal, even if _he_ was gone. Oh, the tongue lashings Remy was in store for were probably keeping him far, far away. His posture wilted when he realized bringing him up wouldn't make his friend feel much better.

"Ya don't have to tell me that." Rogue smiled lamely. It was about as likely as Kurt waking up furless. She'd given up hoping for a normal life. To touch. There was simply no point. "Your firstborn son... You should name him Nathan. He'd be very lucky to be named after you. Scott... Would be too obnoxious, though." He chuckled at that and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay. I won't." He leaned on the wooden railing of the of the steps and stared out into the backyard.

"She's ready, Scott. She's always been ready." Her eyes met his, again. "Whenever you ask her will be the right time. But, you know that. You just wanted to be sure. That's... Why she loves you, Scott." '_Why we all do.'_ Nobody would ever know him better than Jean, but sometimes it unnerved him how Rogue could read him. He dropped his eyes from flawless, white skin. He moved to speak, but pressed his mouth into a smile. They didn't need to say anything.

"Thank you, Rogue._ Really._ You... Don't know how much it means to me." She smirked triumphantly as Hope babbled between them, her onesie covered in sunflowers. It's a wonder how the pouty, defensive teenager of yesteryear got there, but the stripe banged mutant is just as grateful.

"Ah'll add it to your tab, Summers." She handed off the giggly child to him, and he accepted with large hands. Rogue leaned against the fence, her face lost in thought. A pensive look that Scott took as wistful. Longing. One she could have for so many reasons.

"Say the words, Rogue." This earns a raised eyebrow from his friend. "Wolverine's been training me to hunt slippery thieves since I came here. I've got time I'm allowed to take off..."

She only clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Jean'll be back at five, Scott. I'm stealin' one of Logan's beers." And, with that, she disappeared inside.


	6. Pet Names

He came back. It took almost six months to do so.

As he peered inside Rogue's now empty room from the tree outside, he knew he only had minutes until Logan smelled him. Maybe less until Rogue killed him, herself. But, the risk was worth it. He'd been tied up entirely too long, and he'd be lucky if the girl ever spoke to him, again. He's standing in just his black skin suit, his trench coat lost earlier on another adventure.

Taking a deep breath, he leapt to the balcony and prepared to silently slip inside. She's wearing just an oversized, green sweatshirt and gazing down at a book despite the dim light in her room. For a moment, he can't move. He's missed her so much. Her skin is still like marble, but her hair is straight and crawling past her shoulders. Tucked gently behind one ear, showing off silver rings and studs in her cartilage.

Her face still painted, despite the hour. She doesn't notice for a moment and he holds his breath. "Y'need to train more,_ non_?" Grey eyes shine in the moonlight. In seconds, she's on two feet, the sweatshirt barely leaving her decent (not that he minds). She takes in his lanky appearance, his long, scraggly hair almost the length her's was in high school. The stubble on his chin. His red and black eyes.

_"Remy?"_ For a second, he almost begs her not to be mad. To run into his arms and not ask where he's been, please don't make him explain. All hell broke loose instead. He had never heard the girl speak with such venom in her voice. He can tell from the way her hands resemble talons that she's mad. Really mad. Six months was way longer than he ever intended to be gone, but she doesn't look in the mood to hear.

"You..._ You..."_ She's so mad she can't even speak (the last time he saw her like this, it didn't end well). He holds his hands up out of habit, expecting her to swing.

"Hold on, _petite_." He begins, but she won't listen. "Rogue, please. Remy c-"

"You fake. You _phony_! How much wasn't a lie, ya thievin' piece of garbage? Is ya middle name _even_ Etienne, Ah bet it isn't!" He's pressed himself flat against the wall, knowing her raised voice is about to attract the entire school. And, he's seen how they meddle in each other's affairs.

"Shh! _C'mon_, Rogue." He looked around nervously and met the woman's eyes. She had no intention to stop there. She'd thought long and hard about the moment he'd try to blow back into her life. And, she'd come up with a lot of names.

"You _low down, rotten, dirty, no good jer_k... You're lower than caterpillar knees! Than.. Than the _ears_, on those droopy-faced dogs! Lower than low, and you break into my room! After_ ghostin'_ me?" He shut his mouth tight when he saw tears welling in her eyes. He'd really hurt her feelings, even if he hadn't meant to. He really did have an insane story, one that involved geneticists. Evil mutants, and imprisonment. But, he had a feeling she didn't want to hear about that. "You're a _liar_, Remy. You looked me in my eyes and you l_ied._"

"Remy _had_ to go, Rogue. Please. Listen-"

_"Without_ tellin' me. After Ah told you this is the one thing Ah can't forgive, not after communicating it?" Silence. She had explicitly laid out why this would trigger her (possibly to violence) and why not to do it. He understood why she was mad, he did. But, when it came to her and the school's safety he wouldn't risk it. Even if he was in the doghouse. "You made a _fool_ out of me. And, for what? To go off and be with other girls-"

He crossed the distance between them and grabbed a hand, covered in delicate, silk gloves. "Remy _never_ left you to go be wit other girls, Rogue." The look in his eye made her blush and almost contemplate believing him. He even turned on a little charm, just enough so she wouldn't call him out. He needed it. "Rogue, I'm an idiot. Remy admit that, but Remy didn't do it to hurt you. Had some... Business." She looks about ready to scream until he continued. "That I _couldn' _have turnin' up here and gettin' someone else hurt. Turns out, Remy should've told someone what was goin' on. Can ya forgive me?"

She sighed in frustration, raising a glove to his face. He leaned into her touch, wishing she'd grace him with unconsciousness. _"Aw,_ Remy..." He doesn't know what to think when she smiles, sweetly. A little too sweet. "No." As if on cue, Logan busted through Rogue's door. He was shirtless, and his eyes were insane. His chest an arms were covered in hair and flushed veins.

_"Rogue!"_ He launched himself claws first at the intruder. His nose knew instantly who had infiltrated the mansion. He wasn't any softer, if anything he was harder with the cajun as he threw him at the wall. He pressed his claws to his gut and turned back to the girl. There was a small crowd gathering outside the room, but nobody intervened. Remy swallowed. "Well? _Thoughts?"_

Rogue crossed her arms. "Make his insides his _outsides._" The southern mutant's mouth dropped in shock.

"ROGUE," Logan raised a clawed fist, gleefully.

"Thought you'd_ never_ ask."

"Ah'm just kiddin', Logan. Put him down." Remy isn't sure why he's so relieved when the stout man set him down on the ground, growling. He can't help buy wonder if he would've done it. The look in his eye is leaning towards 'yes'. Remy dusted himself off and tried to catch Rogue's eyes.

"How long do you get grounded for after getting caught in a coed room way after curfew..." The Canadian mutant demanded, his lip pulled back in a snarl. Logan had been waiting for this moment, but he still wonders who the hell Gambit thinks he is. Scott stroked his chin, failing to hold back a smirk.

"They should _definitely_ be cleaning the X-Jet..." He suggests, doubling back to return to his room. Logan tugged Remy roughly along.

"Why don't we figure out what your punishment is in the Danger Room. Maybe, that'll get my mind goin'." He only tossed a look back at the girl sitting on her bed as he was practically dragged.

"We... Finish dis conversation later, _maybe_?" He suggested, his eyes prying for her's. She only sighed, following after them to her door.

"Maybe," She says when they pass through the doorway, and Remy smiles._ 'Dere's hope._' "Ah wasn't finished callin' you names." With that, she shut her door in his face.


	7. What's My Name?

Blue eyes open. Auburn and white hair fades to blonde, and back again. Is that Mystique's power? Who's Mystique? Who knows, anymore. Whoever She is, her mind is nothing but a cacophony of terror. Of flashing, blinding lights. Of pain. Screams. Cries. A little girl tucked inside of it all, not even trying to come out. Too beaten down and degraded. Not after she tore down bridges, ripped the jet in half in midair.

Whoever_ They_ were, they hate her, now. Family? Friends? Enemies, now. It's cold on the ground. Snow. Blink. It'd be good to stop. Just stop now, lay on the cold ground...

_"HEY,"_ She turns her head, but a pain in her neck halts her. She's not supposed to feel pain. This means it's bad, she's hurt. Maybe, dying. "Hey, over here..." Half of his face is practically gouged out, but it heals as he drags himself through the mounting snow. He has wild dark hair and a face full of whiskers. Figures crawl out of the torn plane, miraculously fine. A woman with hair of fire floats out, and she's responsible for that. A numbness spreads through Her limbs as the man gets to her side. "What's your name, kid?" He hurriedly changes her position. "_C'mon,"_

She understands the language, but her own tongue feels foreign. Blue eyes fade to grey, clawing to get back to the surface. To tell them she's _sorry._ She's trying, but the woman is too strong... Back to blue. She erupts into a hellish scream, but it doesn't deter the broad man beside her. Her mind is just thousands of pages from millions of books, rapid memories that hurt her head to think about.

"What is this_, where am I_!" She shouts at him, willing her broken body to move. Logan frowns when there's no accent. "Why... _Why am I over there_?" She was staring, wide eyed at the blonde laying motionless, a helpless brunette and a white haired woman leaned over her. If she was laying there, then how was she there? "WHAT'S GOING ON,"

"Listen, t-" A swift arm sends him flying back, into the one with the glasses, who was running over.

"WHO AM I," She looked around, eyes flickering to grey and back again. Her mind was full of every memory, all at once. _"What's... My name?" _Was it Rogue? Carol? Susan Jane? Anna Marie? Katherine Anne... Maybe, Remy? She had so many names inside of her.

"Anna Marie, das your name,_ chére_." Wild eyes flickered to cajun, his adamantium staff already_ bent_ by the woman's fury. "You're Rogue, an X-Man. Our _friend._ Remy know you in dere!" Her hair faded to blonde, and soon her likeness was replaced by the woman's on the ground. She grabbed a nearby bus and raised it over her head, aiming for him. Shrieking.

_"You killed me."_ She hissed, tears leaking down her face. "_All of you." _

"No, Rogue!" Logan hurled himself at her, but he crashed into impenetrable skin like a ton of bricks. She didn't take her eyes off of Gambit's scared, black and red eyes.

"Remember, c_hére._ We yo' family."

"Your friends." Kitty chimed in, shivering beside Jean as they all took in the damage of downtown Bayville. It looked like Magneto and the Juggernaut had teamed up. They had no true idea how strong their teammate now was, but they were getting worried. "We're gonna _help_ you, Rogue."

"You're my sister." Kurt continued, teleporting beside her and flinching as the bus trembled in her hands. "Ve're here for you, no matter what it takes." When Charles appeared with Magneto, Jean flew to the air to brief him.

"I _know_ you're hurtin' in there, and I know you're tired." Logan stood in front of Remy, staring into the girl's face. "But, you gotta keep fighting, Rogue. Long enough for the professor to help you!" Unnoticed in the snow, Mystique sat up weakly. Watching.

"You can do this. You're the strongest teammate I have." Scott called out confidently, his face set in the freezing cold. "You've saved my life. You saved Jean. You saved _the world_. You'll save yourself! I know it. The X-Men have your back, Rogue." He held her stare, even with his visor as she struggled for control of her own body. Carol Danvers was throttling Rogue in the astral plane, enraged at her life being wasted.

_'We are here, Rogue. Please! Allow us to help.'_ Magneto hurriedly moved the vehicle from her grip and set it on the ground as Jean and Charles struggled to breach her mind. They'd never felt such resistance or chaos._ 'Don't fight it, Rogue! We won't surrender you to Ms. Danvers!' _Jean's knees began to buckle as she tried with all her might to make order of Rogue's mind.

_'It hurts, professor!'_

_'There she is!'_ Jean exclaimed, focusing her telepathy to cage the volatile psyche of Carol Danvers away from Rogue's faculties. Charles reinforced the imprisonment, locking the woman farther down than Rogue's deepest, repressed memories. The psychics both gasped when Carol was silenced. Rogue's hair slowly faded back to normal, and so did her features.

Logan caught her before she collapsed against the snow covered ground, Remy crouching solemnly beside her. She was limp in his arms, despite a slight shiver. Charles has done what he had to do for the girl's safety and others, he just hopes he was gentle enough. His eyes shut as the team slowly crowds around. Rogue's panting as everyone waits to hear a word.

"Speak to us, _chére._" Remy begs, his hands gripped tight, Scott's chin is steeped on his fingers. He was communicating with Jean over everyone's heads. They all knew her mind was already in a fragile state due to her powers. Mystique might've pushed it over the edge. Even Logan grows anxious when she won't face them, and she won't speak.

_"Kid?"_ He asked softly, watching as Kitty wiped at her eyes.

"_Who am Ah?_" She whispered, shaking as snow continued to fall. She wasn't sure if she was more scared that she couldn't remember, or scared that she would.

"Anna Marie." Logan says without missing a beat. He holds her tighter. "Rogue. An X-Man, remember?" Charles' eyes tear up as he waits. Rogue only blinks, her mind too cautious of digging into her shattered memories. The bald man can no longer bare to watch as a silence fills all of them_. 'I've mangled her, what have I done...'_ He drops his head in his hands and Jean drops to his side and wraps her arms around him.

"Wolverine." She responds with sad eyes. Her gloved hand slides in the snow, and Remy grabs it. "Gambit." Everyone collectively exhales as the girl looks at them with recognition. But, her tired eyes glaze over and then fill with tears. _"Mystique..."_ She'd done it. Whatever she'd tried all those years ago, she'd completed it now. Rogue had destroyed an Avenger and half of the city. The jet. Carol Danver's_ life._ It was worse than she'd ever had the presence of mind to think.

Kurt appeared beside her, and Logan leaned them both to him in an embrace.

"It's_ okay_, now. Ve're here." The blue mutant said a silent prayer to himself, for his sister's heart and also his mother's. She'd disappeared in the chaos. Jean wrapped a blanket around them both and returned to her fiancé's side, her mouth tugging downwards. Scott turned towards the destroyed jet and cursed Mystique, again.

"Hank will be here soon with another jet for us. Try to hang on, Rogue." Scott wrapped an arm around the redhead when she shivered.

The white banged mutant didn't respond. She was too fatigued to speak. To think. Who _was_ she? There was the Rogue before she'd killed, and there'd be one after.


	8. Who Are You?

Kurt flicked at his eye in frustration. Rogue was so popular, it seemed difficult to find time to spend with her in the infirmary (Good luck getting Remy or Logan to rest or take care of themselves. Scott is a sentinel in the lobby, the mansion constantly shakes because of Jean and the professor's stressed dreams). The entire school is in a state of unrest, not just this worried sibling.

When Rogue's powers spun out at the concert, her hospitalization had been hard on the team. It made her more withdrawn and depressed, she was stuck in the medbay for over a month, and she was kidnapped right after. It was going on almost a month, now, and Rogue had lapsed into a coma. Charles had encouraged everyone's spirits to stay high and to keep visiting her, speaking to her.

So, Kurt would remind the girl who she was. Who they all were. He took the rare moment alone to get sentimental, flipping through one of Kitty's scrapbooks.

"Logan says... To keep speaking to you, to bring up memories and things that vill make you _smile._" His smile becomes more of a grimace, but he keeps the tears from falling out of his eyes. "Here, it's pictures of you and Kitty. In the Dracula play. You guys argued..._ All_ the time, but you vere best friends... Even back then. Veren't you?" He smiled, watching a still, porcelain face.

"Here's you reading Dracula while Kitty blogged, outside. A picture of you and Ororo, cooking dinner..." He sighed, remembering when he felt the halls were too crowded with kids. How he missed those less complicated days. "You and Bobby by the flight simulator with Logan, after he passed!" He chuckled, remembering how everybody bet that no one could teach Bobby to fly. "A couple of threats and hours later,_ flight certified."_

"All of us on the beach trip that you could make! Look, Jean has her arm around you..." He remembers when his sister at least wasn't fond of the telepath. They'd all come a long way, since. Even back when he felt things were tense, the two girls are photographed at the very least supporting each other. Always. Fast forward to now, sometimes he wonders if Jean takes this the hardest. All her power but she can't help her friend. Can't help Logan or Scott or Charles' suffering. He sighed. _His_ suffering.

"Your graduation pictures, and your valedictorian speech, the one you earned to vin a bet vith_ Scott."_ He laughed a hardy laugh at that. He didn't know what was funnier, Scott's ego or Rogue's pettiness for overachieving to prove the point. It made for an interesting school year at the mansion, one Scott seriously considered moving out during. _'If you could achieve this than why.._' "He vishes it vere him, Rogue. If he could trade places and be right here, he vould... He can't. So, this is hard on him." His expression sombers as he imagines his bedraggled friend, sunglasses hiding surely bloodshot eyes.

He flips the page to see a picture of him, Kitty, and Rogue together in the garden during high school. "It's.. Okay. Take as long as you need. Kitty and I, ve know you vill be back. Ve vill take care of him..." He flips another page to see a picture of Logan and Rogue, both not smiling in a picture beside his bikes. "Logan, too. He's alvays hard on himself vhen he's vorrying. He'll be himself soon, vhen you're back, again. You're..."

He looked around the room, full of stuffed animals and CD's. Balloons and flowers that Kitty watered and arranged, every day. Books stacked in the corner by Logan, blessed candles and beads from Remy. A round of text books purchased by Jean and Scott that the girl would need. The list went on. Kurt was scared, but he could_ feel_ the love for the girl in the room. And, it helped him feel a little better. "You are Rogue. And, you are so loved. That alone makes me feel better, that..." A tear slid down his face, one that dripped onto the white of her arm.

Sometimes, he was just scared. And, there was no optimistic followup. He just hopes his sister comes back.

"Qqqqq..." Wiping at his eyes, Kurt turns when he swears he hears a noise.

_"Rogue?"_

"Quiet." She whispered, watching as a smile spread over her brother's face.

"Y-You're.. You're_ back_!" She grabbed his gloved hand weakly. He'd been wearing his uniform gloves constantly, hoping his sibling would return to consciousness. "H-How are you?! Vhat do you need? I need to get Logan, and the professor, and Dr. Hank, a-and Scott! Hold on, okay? Be back in a jiffy! Stay _just_ like this!" He moves to teleport in excitement, but she called out to him.

_"Kurt..."_ He freezes mid leap. "...Thank you." The words seem to take all of her remaining energy, but it was worth it to say when she sees the look on his face. "Your voice..." She continued, her brow furrowed in effort. "It kept me from forgetting who Ah was. It got... It got pretty crazy in here." She rubbed her temple with a disconcerted look.

"I can imagine. It's okay now, it's all over." They shared a knowing smile before the blue mutant disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Rogue knows the story that led to her hospitalization isn't a pretty one. It tells the story of how she ruined and killed, even if Charles has tried to hide the memory. But, she's also one who lived. Who has family that defines her other ways. And, it was up to her to rise to that occasion.


	9. Bastard

She found the stout man sitting under a tree in the garden, a cigarette in his mouth. He had a handle of bourbon in his hand that was half empty, but she knows he isn't drunk. He'd explained it to her, before. His healing factor mostly kept him from getting poisoned or intoxicated. She knew sometimes, he wore an inhibitor collar so he could_ feel_ the effects of the alcohol.

Sometimes, the bitter burn down his throat was close enough to a placebo effect. Sometimes, the whiskey Charles gifts him is all he has to pull him from the edge. The edge of dragging his claws through Scott. Of throwing _her_ over his shoulder and leaving, never to return. Pretending to get drunk worked fine. Both mutants shut their eyes when the campus rattles. It was always like this when Jean and Scott fight.

Everyday was like this, the school knowing way too much of the couples' struggle. Their business. But, their arguments commanded full attention. How couldn't they? Jean insists Scott's developing a link with another telepath. A blonde one, with breasts bigger than Rogue's and shifty, cold eyes. One the red head will never trust, even if she saved her life. Once, that she insisted was a fluke.

But of course, there's Logan. The argument drives Scott insane. Jean ventured into the former weapon X project's mind one too many times. They are now inexplicably linked, bound by forces far beyond either of their control. They are drawn to each other. Magnets. Moths to the flame. These feelings went far past platonic, and both sides have crossed lines that they can't take back.

A lot of voices have been heard on the subject. It's disturbing the peace. It's disappointing to peers. Even Charles had pulled Logan aside. Whenever the clawed man is in the same room as Scott, sparks fly. They can't even get through missions. Life or death situations without the red head becoming the topic of discussion. The matter to be fighting about.

It doesn't help that the world is constantly ending (at least for mutants). Nobody knows when their moment is their last, what they have to say. Do, before they don't have the chance. Jean has been in this position many times with Scott and Logan, just as they have with other people. The pressure makes confusing feelings unbearable. Unthinkable. All encompassing.

The Canadian has retreated outside for his last bastion of sanity. He has to calm himself, or his next fight with Scott won't be a busted lip. A broken nose. But, entrails decorating every inch of the Danger Room floor. He knows he could do it, and that's why he's outside. Smoking a cigarette. Slashing himself instead of the ones he's supposed to protect.

He wonders what it would take to leave it all behind. They all look at him with disappointment. Even half-pint. Even elf. Even stripe. And, why shouldn't they? Why shouldn't he leave? He plucked a barely ripe berry, indulged in Jean's insanity, held her close to feel whole at the expense of everything Charles fought for. Being alone is a light sentence.

"Hey." Rogue settles for after awkwardly standing. The wind blows between them for a long moment, and Logan chuckles bitterly at the fact he can't get drunk. He needs to blackout, escape his life for the first time. Ever.

"Come to call me names,_ too_?" He spits venomously, surprised when she doesn't gasp or bristle. This has to hurt her the most, how many men can the kid lose to the Irish dream? He's heard Rogue lay into the cajun more times than he'd like to count, so he knows she's got a mouth on her. One that could bring a tear to his eye, if she wanted to.

Logan doesn't want to hear it right now, but he can't say he doesn't deserve it. It's not about what he wants. Not anymore.

He's surprised Rogue still speaks to him at all. She's got novels of complicated feelings about both parties involved. "What am I? A perv?_ A dirty old man?_" He stands when his words get no reaction out of her. "A bastard," He snarls, shaking in front of her. "The worst thing to ever happen to this place? To the _X-Men..."_ Rogue dropped her eyes. He waited for her to do her worst.

"Do you..." She clenches her fists, tight. "Do you_ really_ think Ah'd say any of that?" He sagged tiredly and sat back down at the tree. He looked at the bottle and set it down, beside him.

"No." He answered truthfully with a sigh. "But, I wish you would, Rogue." The girl groaned as she took a seat beside him in a dark blue sweatshirt she used to wear when she was younger. Much younger, a simpler time ago.

"Not doin' ya dirty work for ya." She insisted, tracing her fingers through the dirt. "_Besides,_" She looked wistfully at the sky. "Ya told me we learn to be constructive, here." She sent him a quick look. He wouldn't meet her eyes. Last thing he felt worthy of was comfort. "Ah won't break you down, but Ah'll build ya back up."

He chuckled bitterly, staring at the bourbon. "Kitty already came out here and tore me a new one," He said, his eyes full of mirth. At his heart, he's proud of the ferocity the tiny girl had. Maybe now, he'll stop worrying about her so much. "Deserved it." He added, taking a quick swig of the bitter alcohol. Rogue just twiddled blades of grass between her fingers.

"She was probably right." She conceded with a half smile.

"When_ isn't_ she?" Logan offers the bottle to Rogue, but she knows better. This wasn't her fight. She shrugged.

"Maybe, ya needed to hear that. Maybe _now_, ya just need someone to support you." He expected a lot more rage from the girl, but then he wonders if maybe he doesn't know her as well as he thought. She's grown a lot, over the years. Skin holding just a little color, hair growing just a little longer. Eyes slightly brighter. She believes in something, what he'll never know. Maybe, it's him. He hopes not. "You've _always_ done that for me."

"It ain't _hard_ standing beside a kid who needs ya." He pointed out with a growl. Rogue and the troubles she went through is nothing compared to him and Jean. Not even the same ballpark. "You may not consider yourself one, anymore. But compared to me, Rogue, you're still a _kid._ " He sees the anger flash on her face, and he doesn't care. _'Why am I a kid but you can fall in love with Jean?'_ The real answer is he doesn't know, and she, Kitty, and Jubilee will always be children.

He's just grateful she doesn't say so. "You've been the victim of circumstance more than anyone should be." His eyes shined with emotion. "But me an' Red, that's different. You wanna stand by my side, you can. That's your funeral. But, don't do it because I helped you when you needed it. Totally different."

"Ah'll _always_ stand by your side." She answers unflinchingly, and he's never doubted that. Not Kitty or Jubilee, either. Even if they're upset with him. "Sometimes... That means letting_ them_ decide, and supporting whatever comes after." He met worried, sad grey eyes. And he can't blame the girl. He's a mess, a shadow of himself. And Jean and Scott aren't much better. Still, he admires her for being able to look past that. He stared at soil as she folded into herself, Jean yelling in the distance.

Logan knew she meant Remy, someone the man had finally released of his homicidal tendencies. He needed to save those for real hurt and real enemies, of which all the X-Men would have plenty. He was far from perfect, shrewd, and had a dirty mind. But, he cared for Rogue. He'd proved it enough and wormed his way to her heart. Scott, only getting more uptight as time wore on, did not share those feelings.

He did not appreciate the southerner's comings and going, how he affected his teammate, and how he made everything into a joke.

Logan had been the one to plead their case to 'let sleeping dogs lie'. Rogue was already a late bloomer. She had to navigate love herself, like everybody else already had. "Ah know you... Don't _like_ all the choices Ah've made." She looked up at him, sheepishly. He was like a father and not, but he'd weighed in on all the girls' romantic lives.

He snorted. She'd had a brief fling with the rich, enigmatic Warren Worthington. Who, until recently, wanted to _remove_ his X-Gene. She pined hopelessly for Scott, and then there was Remy. "Not a whole lot to like." He chooses to respond. They smiled, but both their expressions become troubled. Even if she would stick by him, no matter what, this was a problem. A real problem. "If I could _help_ how I felt, Rogue... I wouldn't feel this way. Not a second longer." She didn't know why, but tears welled in her eyes. "I wish someone would _wipe my mind_, make it all go away..."

"Ah know, Logan..." They watched as Scott stalked out of the mansion and towards his convertible. "But, you're part of a _much bigger_ problem. She watched as Logan stood and faced the road. He couldn't be in there. Not alone, not with_ her._ The destruction of the X-Men couldn't be his fault. He wouldn't let it be.

"Doesn't matter now," He grunts, flicking his cigarette away. Rogue sat as he disappeared from sight.


End file.
